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Caroline Kennedy Says Tokyo, Seoul Should Work Out Differences

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy met Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima during a February visit.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy said Thursday that it was up to Japan and South Korea to improve their relations and that she was confident the two sides could make enough progress to satisfy U.S. President Barack Obama.

Speaking to public broadcaster NHK in her first Japanese television interview since becoming ambassador in November, Ms. Kennedy reiterated the negative U.S. view of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit last year to a shrine dedicated to Japan’s war dead, saying any actions that “make the regional climate more difficult” were disappointing.

But she generally held back from adding to the criticism, heaping praise on Mr. Abe as a “stable, strong leader” and a “wonderful partner” for the U.S. She said Mr. Abe had brought hope to his own people with the revival of Japan’s economy.

Referring to efforts to improve relations between Japan and South Korea, she said: “I think the two countries really should and will take the lead in this process and the United States, being a close ally of both of them, is happy to help in any way we can.”

“I’m sure that President Obama will be very, very happy with the progress that they will make,” she added.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has refused to meet Mr. Abe since taking office, saying Tokyo must address its wartime past and the issue of comfort women–girls and women, many of them Korean, who were forced to sexually serve Japanese soldiers during World War II.

Mr. Abe stirred ill will in Seoul and Beijing last year when he publicly questioned the definition of “invasion.” Mr. Abe’s visit in December to the Yasukuni Shrine, where some convicted war criminals from World War II are enshrined, prompted fierce protests from Seoul and Beijing and frustration in Washington. His administration further infuriated Seoul last week when it said it would re-examine the process leading up to a landmark Japanese apology on the comfort women issue.

The ambassador played down the impact on the U.S.-Japan relationship of recent comments by Japanese officials on history, some of them made by the head of NHK himself. “History is complicated,” she said. The alliance “is the foundation of so many of the positive developments in the region over the last 50 years and so I think it’s against that backdrop that these issues have to be looked at,” she said, adding that the two countries could be close partners despite occasional differences.

NHK Chairman Katsuto Momii commented on the comfort women issue early this year, saying women forced to work as sex slaves had existed in war zones all over the world. Ms. Kennedy did not comment specifically on Mr. Momii’s remarks.

Mr. Abe’s administration has restarted efforts to relocate a U.S. base on the southern island of Okinawa and moved toward a wider reinterpretation of how it can use its self-defense forces, both moves generally in line with Washington’s wishes.

In February, Ms. Kennedy visited Okinawa, which is home to roughly 70% of U.S. military personnel assigned to Japan. Many islanders feel they bear a disproportionate share of the burden of Japan’s alliance with the U.S.

The ambassador said it was important to get to know Okinawa’s geography and atmosphere.

“The United States and the government is committed to reducing the impact of these bases as quickly as possible and I understand why that is so important,” she said.

While lauding Mr. Abe’s efforts to revitalize the economy, the ambassador also praised his efforts to bring more women into the workforce.

“I would like to really commend the prime minister for putting that issue front and center,” she said. “It opens up a conversation, a national dialogue on this issue, and of course it’s not just a women’s issue, it’s for men too, for families, companies, and the government certainly has a role to play.”